Getting Legal Aid Ontario help by telephone
Legal Aid Ontario’s (LAO) Contact Centre offers information about LAO’s services, their locations and who is eligible. They also give legal information, take applications for legal aid certificates, answer questions about existing certificates, and give referrals to other sources of help, like duty counsel, family law advice from a legal aid lawyer, family law information centres and other community agencies.
LAO has a smartphone app that you can use to see if you might be eligible for help. It also lets you know how long you have to wait to talk to someone at their contact centre. (You will need to be connected to the internet.) (The very bottom of their website’s home page also gives current wait times.)
What happens if I am put on hold when I call Legal Aid Ontario?
If you can’t wait on hold, LAO’s telephone service tells you to enter your phone number and a staff member will return your call. You will hear an interactive voice recording that tells you how to use this “call-back” option.
Enter your telephone number when you are prompted to do so, and you will get an automated call back when the next staff person becomes available. You will not lose your place in line.
Legal Aid Ontario’s websites
Visit LAO’s main website to see the different types of help they offer.
Lawfacts.ca is a legal information resource from LAO, providing legal information about criminal law, refugee law, mental health, or resources for aboriginal people.